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Te Ao Hou, July 1969, Page 59

John Forster's article is very clearly written and is, I think, especially interesting. He briefly reviews the social and economic changes experienced by the Maori in the last 200 years, and shows how similar the Maori situation has become to the situation of native populations in other ‘settlement colonies’ such as the United States, Canada and Australia. In this way he puts the matter in a broader perspective, showing that the position of the Maori population is not unique in either its origins or its present condition. He makes several other points that seem of particular importance. One is that the position of the Pakeha population is constantly changing, and that the pressure of international events beyond New Zealand's control will force changes upon us all, Pakeha and Maori alike. He also (like several other writers in the book) emphasises the complexity and diversity of Maori experience. There is much variation from one part of the country to another; and there is much uncertainty as to who in fact is a Maori. In view of this, and because the Maori position does so much resemble that of other indigenous minority groups, he suggests the possibility that ‘the peculiarities which can be isolated in the psyche of the Maori are not a function of their being Maori, but are, instead, the result of being poor’. There are useful essays by Ian Prior on questions on health; James and Jane Ritchie on patterns of child-rearing; James Ritchie on Maori work and employment, and associated values; and Erik Schwimmer on ‘The Maori and Government’. Bruce Biggs writes on ‘The Maori Language Past and Present’, dealing with such topics as the dialects of Maori, its relationships with other Polynesian languages, its grammar and literature. In an account of the effects of the education system, Professor Biggs tells how the Native Schools Amendment Act of 1871

‘marked the beginning of the policy of prohibiting the use of Maori in the schools, with the aim of replacing Maori by English as the language not only of the school but of all situations…. The Education Department declared total war on the Maori language’. He describes the present situation, discusses the thorny topic of the long vowel controversy, and considers the future of the language: ‘As its general use declines it may well be that its ritual and ceremonial use will become more important. It is certain that scholarly study of the language will increase, for it seems in the nature of things that we value our treasures most as they pass from us’. Katarina Mataira discusses the changes taking place in Maori art forms, and describes the work of some contemporary Maori artists. Bill Pearson traces Pakeha attitudes towards the Maori as they are reflected in literature during the years 1938–65, and also discusses recent writing by Maoris. Arapera Blank, in an essay that is also a short story, provides a vivid memorable account of culture conflict within an individual. In an article entitled ‘Maori Kings’, Pei Te Hurinui Jones has written a most valuable account of the Maori King Movement. This is an important contribution to Maori history, and will be of permanent value. The Maori People in the Nineteen-Sixties contains so much excellent material on such a wide range of subjects that it will be an indispensable book for the serious student of Maori matters.